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All IPCC definitions taken from Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Annex I, Glossary, pp. 941-954. Cambridge University Press.

Wow! An actual discussion of the most important issue in the campaign. I saw brief images of Hillary and Al Gore at this rally, accompanied by speculation about why Hillary had Al Gore with her and how that would help her, but I didn't seen any broadcast of theactual presentation, in which Hillary got everything right. And that's in contrast to the way all TV news stations, as well as CNBC, interrupt their programs to carry Donald's rants.

Good to see Clinton taking climate change seriously. Of course Clinton would face challenges if elected. Politicians may be slow to act on climate change as they are somewhat captive to their funders and popular opinion and worries about losing votes.

However America has one interesting feature, namely the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which appears to be semi autonomous or independent of politicians, in the way the American system typically divides up power. The EPA has declared carbon dioxide a pollutant, and required various regulatory measures to be taken (to howls of protest from the Republican Congress, but they haven’t been able to overturn the regulatory measures).

The EPA might be a good approach for other countries to take, if politicians are worried about public reaction to climate change policies, as it hands decisions to technocrats tasked with simply protecting the environment.

The EPA does not appear to stop politicians promoting additional protections, but Obama has met resistance on this from Congress. But at least the EPA is there doing something in the background.

However the EPA can only regulate. Only politicians can introduce something like a carbon tax or emissions cap and trade scheme. So good luck to Clinton, if elected.

The EPA is a great idea. However, it can be hobbled by a lack of funding. And right now the Republicans control the House of Representatives which controls funding.

So what is required is a legal obligation for an EPA group to be guaranteed the funding required for it to properly perform its duties. And that legal requirement would need the teeth to remove from office any official, incluing elected representatives, that can be shown to have participated in r supported efforts to try to limit the funding of the EPA. And the law woule need the teeth and independance form influence to financially penalize anyone who tried to influence such officials.

Tim DeChristopher was quoted on the Hillary/Gore event on Oct. 12. DeChristopher is the founder of the Climate Disobedience Center (http://www.climatedisobedience.org/) and is featured in the award-winning film “Bidder 70.”

He said: “While our political leaders are pretending that being better than Trump is an adequate response to the climate crisis, the climate movement is boldly stepping up to the unprecedented challenge of climate change with courage and commitment. Just in the past few days since the presidential debate ignored climate change, there have been several bold acts of civil disobedience around the country. The sustained resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline at the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota had 29 people arrested on Monday for refusing to back down in the face of increasing repression and state violence. Four activists in New York spent all day Monday occupying the Spectra fracked gas pipeline that will run right next to the Indian Point Nuclear Power plant. Then Tuesday, activists in four states shut down all five tar sands pipelines entering the U.S. from Canada. Ten people involved in that action remain in jail right now with bails that range from $5,000 to $75,000.“There is a stark divide between the politicians who seem incapable of thinking about the climate crisis outside of the boundaries of old assumptions about political feasibility and the activists who are making real sacrifices to treat climate change like the unprecedented crisis it is. Al Gore is campaigning for Hilary Clinton without questioning her extreme support for fracking and fossil fuel infrastructure expansion, while Al Gore’s own daughter, Karenna, is currently facing a potential two and half year jail sentence for protesting fracked gas pipeline construction in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

“Too many failed centrist attempts to address climate change without standing up to the fossil fuel industry have taught honest pragmatists that we simply can’t deal with climate change in a non-confrontational way. Those failures have brought us to this point of record-breaking climate impacts. As the climate crisis quickly intensifies, the climate movement is committing to intensifying our efforts to defend a livable future, as yesterday’s huge pipeline shutdown demonstrated. We hope that our political leaders will join us.”

Moreover @5, I largely agree. Clinton's campaign donors probably include fossil fuel companies, and they will have certain expectations that she not move too much on climate change.

In contrast Trump is more self funding, so in theory is less captive to lobby groups, but Trump is a climate change denialist. This is such an unfortunate and ironic outcome.

Clinton is also a consensus seeker / compromise type of person which has both its merits and problems. It’s fair to say the entire American system was designed to promote this style of politics. However it makes for slow work of dealing with climate change.

We need to make progress on the climate problem as quickly as possible. We cannot afford to wait for the perfect politician, the perfect political climate, or the perfect technology breakthrough. We have to push forward right now, with the best that we have available right now.

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